Coach Train Learn

Delegation for Managers - That First Class Skill

When we delegate as managers, we create time and space for ourselves, to do more of what we alone can do best.

We add new opportunities to our people to develop their skills and evolve a much more capable workforce.

What could be better?

The first thing to understand about delegation is that it simply does not happen on its own.

As with any other kind of work that you have to complete, you will first need to learn how to manage a task properly yourself, so that when you do delegate it, the results will meet, if not exceed, your expectations.

There are a few essential steps that you will first of all need to understand, so as to be in a better position to delegate tasks effectively.

Communicating the activity outcomes clearly will ensure success. This means that you will need to start off by describing exactly what you expect the person to do, to specify when the job is to be completed and, of course, what kind of end results are necessary, on completion.

It is importand for you to provide the context within which the work is to be performed. This in turn will mean that you will need to explain the reasons why you need the work done and its importance to the bigger picture of your workplace.

Finally, it’s worth sharing where there could be difficulties along the way and how these might be dealt with - if and when the complications arise.

Scrooged - A Dickens of a Way to Manage Change!

Managing change in our lives and in our businesses is vital in the modern environments in which we live. There is much to learn from that old and cantankerous Dickens character, Mr Ebenezer Scrooge himself…

The truth is, although he had an outward persona of grumpiness, deep down somewhere there was a man with a heart, seeing his life drift away from him.

We all do this to some extent - to hide away our true selves behind a veil of something we are more comfortable with. Sometimes we appear intimidating, cruel or even harsh. We avoid the intimacy we really seek, because of past experiences.

For old Scrooge, this became clear with the visit of the three ghosts, as well as what I find the most scary of all, the visit of Jacob Marley, his former partner, who seemed doomed to be stuck in that no-mans-land world between life and the ultimate infinity.

So, what happened then?

Firstly, Scrooge was reminded of who he might become if he carried on as he was. Marley gave him the example of the outcome of carrying on with his current behaviours.

Secondly, the Ghost of Christmas Past happened by. Showing Scrooge his almost forgotten past, where often he had experienced the fun that truly is possible, yet for so many of us is lost and overwritten by the experiences we have, as we grow through childhood and adult life.

Thirdly comes along the Ghost of Christmas Present, where Scrooge becomes aware of opportunities every day, perhaps even every hour, that we all have, yet our frame of mind causes us to miss them.

Awareness of these possibilities is quite a step, yet when we start to take the time to notice, we can easily change our behaviours for the better, not just for ourselves, but by others too.

Finally, the ambiguous Ghost of Christmas Future. Will it happen, or is there a choice? Where Scrooge will end up if he doesn’t make some changes. Interestingly, whilst Scrooge laughs along with the Ghost of Christmas Past and gets into those wonderful experiences of his youth, he’s not smiling anymore when it comes to the future.

And, even more oddly, it seems that the impact on others, what might happen to Tiny Tim, hurts and frightens him the most.

What can we learn from this? Quite a lot actually…

• Our past holds the clues to who we might be.
• We get stuck into one way of thinking and that does us no favours.
• Focusing on money (remember he’s a miser!), is an escape many of us choose.
• There are possibilities every single day to get more from our lives - to be authentic with ourselves.
• The future is impacted on by our behaviours and actions - we can make a difference.
• There is much pleasure for ourselves in helping others - it is not an action that causes us pain!
• We have choices to make and they are entirely in our hands. These are decisions we are making every day of our lives.

Managing change becomes all the easier when we realise what we had, where we are now and what might become of us in the future, unless we choose differently. It really is up to us - and that is the challenging part.

Above all, this enchanting story is well worth the read at this time of year - there are many more interesting lessons to learn.

As well as a delightful Christmassy story too!

Never Forget the Thank You

At any time of the year, being aware of and appreciating the contributions of your people is a vital component in building the valuable relationships you need.

Relationships that will add value to the mutual benefits that come from engagement of employee with employer towards a common set of goals.

Particularly at festive times, the need to show that you care is paramount. It’s a talent sadly lacking in many managers, partly because it just gets so hectic as holidays approach; partly because many don’t appreciate how valuable a tool the appreciation of others really is.

These are the very times where managers and their teams come together in the sharing of their joy and expectation for an exciting festive period.

A time where it is so easy to forget the be thankful for the support they give you.

Within this comes a great opportunity.

At this time of year, the people who work so hard for you are open to your positive approaches, like no other time of year.

The general feeling of goodwill makes them much more open to any suggestion of generosity that ‘management’ can show.

Small - seemingly insignificant even - actions to sincerely show how much you are grateful for the efforts they have made are well received - and remembered - at this time of year.

Whatever holiday season you recognize, this time of year provides great possibilities for you to show that you notice the great work and efforts your people make and by taking the time to show it, you will be acknowledged too.

And the simplest and easiest way to do this, is to take the time out to say a sincere ‘Thank you’.

That’s all it takes.

Building Business Relationships - One Simple Tactic

Building useful relationships in a business world is probably one of the most valuable actions anyone can take. Yet there are many challenges to ensure that it’s authentic and effective at the same time.

Finding a particular trick that makes the difference can save a lot of time and energy, as well as being a very profitable indeed.

We all have a passion. In us there are certain parts of our lives that are very important to us and we love to spend time with them. These can be the work we do; the people we know; the hobbies and leisure activities we do; or the pets we have and love. In fact, the ‘hot button’ in our lives can be a myriad of things.

When we manage people, we need to engage with them on the most emotional of levels possible, to build the relationship by showing that we care about what’s important to them.

It’s not that we don’t care about their impact on the workplace, but it is more about showing that we know that work isn’t necessarily the most important thing to them in their world.

Once we have the knowledge we need to log into what’s important to them, we have to remember it on those occasions we get into conversations, by showing a genuine interest in the topic.

Whilst in our busy working lives this could be seen to be an imposition we could do without while focusing on the important things we do, it’s important not to underestimate the unseen, yet critical value this focus gives us.

By raising the issue of how their newest grandchild is; or how their scuba diving course went; or (and work is allowed too!); what happened when they were recently interviewed for a promotion, we endear ourselves to those that matter most to us in our work, those team members who deliver for us.

There’s a little more to gain too. When you show interest in what others are passionate about you find it a lot easier to remember names.

You encourage them to be very open with you because you show you care, building trust. You learn much about them that otherwise you would not.

Not least, knowing them better enhances your life too.

By remembering a little about your people, there is much more value to gain than you might expect.

Growing Capable Employees - The Easy Way

Do you ‘CELT’ each day?

If you want to get yourself excellent employees, fully formed and using their full potential - maybe it’s time to think about it!

Through engaging our people, we can bring the best from them - maybe even more than they might have thought possible, though as a manager who believes in them, you knew just a bit better, didn’t you, so there are few tiny tactics here…

C is for Coach
By encouraging each individual to find their own solutions, through thoughtful questioning and giving the opportunity to explore their own ideas in the listening space you create for them, they will help themselves - and ultimately you - with the brilliance that comes out. As a top manager, you are the coach for that!

E is for Experience
Nothing brings out potential better than providing the chance to experience new challenges in the work they do. Giving the chance to try something out will always ensure that there is growth for people, sometimes small, often big too. As a conscious manager, you are the facilitator for the experiences that can be created for your people.

L is for Learning
By exploring out the learning they capture, as you keep regular loose and friendly contact, you will both embed the value of the new experience and, if you’re smart, create spaces for even more explorations for them with the feedback you give them and even better as you explore their feeding back to themselves too. The best managers are great at this!

T is for Teach
As they build their skills through your coaching, their experiences and the learning they gain, there are opportunities for them to share that with others. Encouraging this makes it stick better, builds their confidence and spreads the word far wider than you could as a manager alone. Really smart managers leverage the numbers!

It’s not rocket science - many managers will have been doing this already in some form or other, yet focusing on this  little process for a while as you do the day job will help your people grow, every step of the way - and every day of the week too.

When you ‘CELT‘, you make the difference to one and then many. When you build this into your daily routine - such that becomes just the way you manage naturally - you make your life much easier, build capable individuals into your team and generate a much wider growth culture - for all your people.

With a culture like this, many of the issues managers face, such as employee turnover, absence, motivation and weak team spirit are simply history.

Will you ‘CELT‘ today? All your people are ready and waiting, so it’s up to you!

Change

“Pro-active change is more effective than reactive change”